CSOs give DSS 14-day ultimatum to release Sowore

A cross-section of civil society organisations have given the Department of State Services an ultimatum of 14 days to release the convener of the #RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore.

The groups said this during a joint emergency world press conference on Monday in Abuja.

Representatives of the CSOs included the Senior Programme Officer, Centre for Democracy and Development, Austin Aigbe; and Chairperson, Transition Monitoring Group, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi.

Others were Executive Director, Enough Is Enough, Yemi Adamolekun; Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa; and Convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju, among others.

According to Adamolekun, the two key issues of concern to the groups were an attack on the judiciary and an attack on free speech as well as a pattern of silencing dissent.

The activist said, "Tomorrow, December 10, the world will celebrate Human Rights Day. It will also be marked in Nigeria as we view the crackdown on the freedom of the press, proposed bills to curb dissent, and a general environment of shrinking civic space, of which the recent actions of our security agencies are just an example."

She listed five demands for the groups, including that President Muhammadu Buhari must show accountability as President and Commander-in-Chief by addressing the nation on his commitment to the rule of law and human rights.

Secondly, they demanded the release of all detained persons by the DSS "as revealed by Amnesty, Premium Times and Punch Newspapers."

Thirdly, they stated that the government must obey all pending court orders.

She added, "(We demand) an investigation of the officers who violated protocol and the circumstances leading to Omoyele Sowore's second arrest. And lastly, the unconditional release of Sowore per his bail terms.

"If these five demands are not honoured within 14 days, we call on patriots across Nigeria as we occupy the National Human Rights Commission offices across the country as it is legally mandated to protect rights and it also reports to the Presidency."

Musa, in his remarks, stated that it was a collective responsibility not only for the CSOs but for all Nigerians, "because all of us are in danger."

He said, If you are a journalist and you are doing your work, you are in trouble in this country. If you are a civil society demanding for accountability, transparency and responsible governance, you are in trouble.

"Even if you are a decent ordinary citizen, who wants to be law-abiding, you are also in trouble. So, it is a collective crisis we find ourselves in. These same people perpetrating this same brutality yesterday were crying. Just in 2015, when the DSS invaded the APC data centre, they were crying.

"In fact, Lai Mohammed was shouting that 'this is the worst thing that has ever happened in Nigeria's history.' But today they are justifying this gross, blatant violation of fundamental human rights in Nigeria."

The activist described the actions of the DSS as worse than military dictatorship, adding that, during the military regime, "as fascist as they were, they were not going to the premises of courts to carry out illegal and irresponsible attacks."

Akiyode-Abiola also noted that the clamor for Sowore and others' release was a fight for the soul of the country.

She said, "The way things are going, it is gradually becoming a style and pattern of this current government to desecrate the courts and to do it with a lot of impunity without being careful about the implications of that to the Nigerian people."